Sunday, 30 August 2009

Rovinj is one of the most 'photogenic' towns in the Mediterranean, once a fishing town, today is a tourist resort. At a distance of some 40 kilometres from Pula, Rovinj has long been known as the town with favourable and beneficial climatic features. So, today its people are still proud of this long tradition and 'fight' for the title of 'healthy town'... The rest is nature’s work. The entire coastline, with its twenty-two islands is an area of protected natural heritage.

I was so excited about our visit to Rovinj. My ancestors(from my mom's side) even had a house there some 100 years ago, that was sold, after the 2nd world war. This is my first time and will definitely have to go for a better visit soon, hopefully. It is one of those places that will leave you mouth open. Just like Venice. So similar. Rovinj was from 1283 to 1797 one of the most important towns of Istria under the Republic of Venice. The city was fortified by two rows of walls with three town gates and therefore it is so normal to have all those resemblances.

I really don't know how to present this amazing town in just a few pics(I made around 800), but I will try my best.

When we came to Rovinj from Pula (45 min. by car) it was 4 pm and still very, very hot outside. The kids were taking a nap in the car, so they were very confused when we shocked them with walking outside. So, after taking a portion of Italian homemade ice cream and some drinks, we realized that we still needed something to awake them, as gorgeous vintage houses and cobbled streets weren't entering in the definition of fun and gorgeous for them.

So, we visited Rovinj's aquarium and after some great examples of sea life, they were in the better mood;), even that Aquarium was ratther small with about 15 aquariums only.(I will make a separate post including all the pics from aquariums, the Verudela one+Rovinj one)

The picture above is the ramp, where the Old town beguns, that is a pedestrian zone in which traffic is forbidden.

So, to think how to encourage the kids to walk on the streets that were going up and down, leading into the top of the small hill where the big Church of St. Euphemia was situated, Mladen(my sister's hubby) invented the story about the sleeping princess castle on the top of the hill. So it was our destination;) I was equipped with my camera and also had the video camera with me, as nobody else wanted couldn't help with it, having all the kids to watch upon around.

Walking on those beautiful old streets, would make you feel the Venetian atmosphere in the air. The old stone way, the houses gathered one after another, beautiful passages, vintage doors, the fresh smell of the see and flowers climbing on the old walls, clothes lines outside of windows with freshly washed laundry drying in the sun, would really give you the feeling that you were catapulted right back in to the renaissance!

I was all the time behind them, trying to capture all that beauty around me, changing my cameras, being overwhelmed by emotions. The streets where gathered in the busiest area of the very centre of Rovinj, Marina, set between the sparkling waters of the Adriatic and a limestone plateau. It is where most bars are located and where locals hang out.

From there, passing through the Balbi's Arch, dating from 1680, and beside late-Renaissance clock tower, we continued climbing to the St. Eufemia's church.

The bell tower of Sv. Euphemija, presents one of the most beautiful Baroque achievements in Istria with the saint up above holding a helm and welcoming the boats arriving in the port, is an unmistakeable example of seventeenth-century Venetian style. From the church plateau there is a wonderful view of the open sea and numerous islets in the distance.

We made a small break there and I asked my sister to take the picture of me in hers dress( I made it for her as a BD gift, and borrowed for this visit;)

I took some pics of the panorama, sea and everything around while the rest of the family was pretty mad at me, being totally hooked by the beauty around, and therefore not participating too much in "looking after the kids".

After that, the road was going down, leading beside many beautiful small craft and souvenir stores, taking us to the market and harbour, later on.

After 4 hours of walk, we headed to our car, and than on the way home, to Pjescana Uvala, we stayed for a dinner in a place called Ranch Fortuna , great agrotourism place with rural household and menu consists of freshly grilled suckling pig, lamb prepared under a metal cover and many other meat and fish specialties at reasonable prices.

Saturday, 29 August 2009

During our stay in Istria, we were accommodated at Pjescana uvala , in Villa Kristina for the whole 2 weeks. It is a very lovely house, with great apartments and very lovely lady, owner, Suzanne, who lives in the Canada, BTW. The place was chosen by my sister, who has been there last year, accommodated nearby and who taught that it was a nice, small place, ideal for small kids and for a family to sleep and eventually go to the beach close to the house in the morning and just a 5 min. away from Pula. And she was right, only that this year, the place was crowded, so we happen to prefer to go somewhere else for swimming and enjoying the sea:) We've been changing the beaches, trying to find the best one and our favourite was Premantura, the farthest part of Istrian peninsula.

Premantura is a place on the southern part of Istrian coast, known form the Bronze Age as an important settlement. Premantura lies at the cape of the peninsula of Kamenjak, and in former times is famous as a nature park with the unique view on the Istrian coastal landscape. In this region are numerous protected plants and animal species.

It costs 20 Kunas (about 4 dollars) to get in with your car. The roads are all gravel and really rough, but the beaches are beautiful! There are a bunch of little bays and small beaches all over the place and it wasn't crowed at all. We loved the crystal water, beautiful stones and large green zone of shady pines, almost touching the sea.

Except for being a tourist resort, Premantura also boasts a long and narrow peninsula Kamenjak, the real pearl of this place, which resembles a hand emerging from the Adriatic. Cape Kamenjak, 9,5 km long and just 1,5 km wide, has been proclaimed a protected landscape area. Surrounded by the 30 km long coast with numerous gulfs, bays and white beaches washed by the crystal clear blue – green sea, Kamenjak leaves nobody indifferent. Abundant in typical Mediterranean low plant cover and macchia, pinewood and fertile fields, Kamenjak will enchant you with the real essence of the Mediterranean.

Marta finally learnt to swim without any swimming bands or rings, and she was basically in the water all the time, and the water temperature was just perfect.

Pablo loved looking for crabs.

And the smaller kids loved to play.....

At the southwest end of the cape, there is an interesting Safari Bar, Robinson style place, offering refreshments and snacks. Children will especially enjoy it here because of interesting and unusual installations, toys etc. Adventure guaranteed. Bar is also often visited by windsurfers who find this southern end of the cape very attractive, especially suitable for more experienced surfers.

Friday, 28 August 2009

Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 (2006). Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, tame sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing, shipbuilding, and tourism. Pula has also been Istria's administrative center since ancient Roman times.

Arena is the name of the amphitheatre located in Pula, Croatia. The Arena is the only remaining Roman amphitheater to have four side towers and with all three Roman architectural orders entirely preserved. It is the sixth largest surviving Roman arena and a rare example, among the 200 Roman surviving amphitheatres, of unique technological solutions. It is also the best preserved ancient monument in Croatia. Arena was built in the 1st century AD and in 1932, it was adapted for theatre productions, military ceremonies and public meetings. In its present state it still seats some 5,000 spectators.

Arch of the Sergii is an Ancient Roman triumphal arch, built in approx. 29 BC - 27 BC by/for the Sergii family.

Temple of August is a well-preserved Roman temple, dedicated to the first Roman emperor, Augustus, it was probably built during the emperor's lifetime at some point between 2BC and his death in AD 14.

Beside these 3 outstanding monuments, there are many other beautiful buildings, churches, houses with gorgeous vintage windows and doors and each corner of this beautiful ancient city with its cultural breathe permeated everywhere, will make you feel lost in the past, at least for the moment.

Of course, it is impossible to attach all the pics here, so you may browse through my flickr gallery to see some more.

There are just a few pics of me, as I was busy taking them, as you can see from the one aside, but there is one with Bianka, taken by Marta, inside one restaurant, where we finished our first visit to Pula, eating a pizza;)